Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
by liz1967
Summary: M is alone on Christmas eve...or so she thinks.


**Merry Christmas Everyone :)**

M sat at her desk in her darkened office staring out the window at the falling snow. It was just past 7:00pm, the office Christmas party had concluded hours ago, and most of her staff had already left as it was Christmas Eve. The party earlier in the day had once again reinforced just why she loathed Christmas. Everyone joking about and getting a bit carried away with the eggnog, talking about how they intended to spend their holiday with this family member or that. M used to love the holidays when her children were little, but once they were grown and had lives of their own, it seemed that they were too busy to make time for her, even Bond seemed to have found something more interesting to do for the holidays.

As M prepared to leave, she looked around her office at the obligatory baskets of fruit and the endless cards, "alone again" she thought to herself as she closed the door and headed for the elevator. Even though her marriage had not been perfect, at least when David had been alive he always did his best to make the holiday special. He understood the demands of her job so he did his best to take care of all of the little details like decorating, purchasing gifts and sending cards...but now even he was gone and she was alone.

When she arrived home, she immediately locked the door, kicked off her shoes and headed to the liquor cabinet in the sitting room to pour herself a drink. and turned on the radio before plopping down the sofa.

"Well, here's to another year" she said lifting her glass before taking a drink as Bing Crosby was quietly singing Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas in the background "Ha, I've been all but forgotten by my family and friends...but who can blame them. It isn't there fault that I have such a bugger of a schedule that it makes it nearly impossible to make any sort of plans." she said to herself as she closed her eyes and took another drink

"Hello Emilie" said a familiar voice. M slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring directly at M, actually, it was the previous M to be exact.

"M?" she said shakily "Is that really you?"

"Who else? You look so surprised"

"Sorry Sir, but I was under the impression that you were dead. I went to your funeral, I helped clean out your office, I even took your Job," she said in a rather confused tone

"Yes, of course you did" he replied rather dismissively

"I have really got to stop drinking when I am so tired," she muttered to herself

"So how are you doing? You look tired"

"Is there some point to your visit or have you just come to comment on my appearance?" she replied sharply

"It's not as easy as it looks is it?" he replied as he sat down beside her

"I beg your pardon?"

"The job. It's harder than you thought to keep your personal feelings out of the mix isn't it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about"

"I'm talking about Bond. You really love him don't you?"

"I don't love him," she snapped defensively "He is my agent, I care about all of my agents, is that a crime?"

"You didn't always care about him though did you? In fact you found him rather irritating at one time"

"That isn't true!"

"Really? Let me take you back. I think your memory is a bit off" he replied as he grasped her hand, and suddenly they were standing in her office years earlier, and she could clearly see herself sitting at her desk as James sat across from her.

"What is this?"

"Just watch" he replied as they watched the scene unfold before them

"You don't like me, Bond. You think I'm an accountant, a bean counter who's more interested in my numbers than your instincts"

"The thought had crossed my mind" he replied

"Good, because I think you're a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the Cold War who's boyish charms, though wasted on me, obviously appealed to the young lady I sent out to evaluate you"

"Do you remember this conversation?" asked the previous M

"Of course I do. It was the day I met Bond."

"No, it was the day you fell in love with Bond"

"Don't be absurd" she replied "He was both arrogant, annoying and had a penchant for disregarding any and every order" she snapped

"And yet he is always your first choice on a complicated mission."

"No he isn't" she replied defensively

" Let me take you to yet another point in history to prove my point" he said as he grasped her hand, and within seconds, they were gone.

"Well, where are we now on the little magical, mystery tour?"

"Just watch," he said as he pointed to Damien Falco and M, deep in discussion

"You were supposed to throw away the key, not leave the door wide open!"

"Are you saying I had a hand in his escape?"

"Well, he did get away real fast"

"Well that is what he is trained to do"

"And your point is?"

"You helped him escape, plain and simple"

"I needed him on that case! Is it my fault he is the best we have?"

"You did have other options, but let's take a look at things from his point of view"

"Oh yes let's do that" she replied sarcastically, and in the blink of an eye they were standing outside an apartment building. Once again, they were watching a scene play out between Bond and M

"Congratulations, you were right."

"About what?"

"About Vesper"

"Ma'am"

"Bond, I need you back"

"I never left"

"You see. In his heart, it has always been you."

"That isn't true!" she snapped in protest

"Oh really?" replied the previous M with a smirk as he grasped her hand and she found herself standing in her own flat again, only this time it wasn't Christmas Eve.

"So this is it. We're both played out"

"Well, if you believe that. Why did you come back?"

"Good question."

"Because we're under attack. And you know we need you"

"Let's stop the conversation right there. He did not come back out of his sense of duty to the job. He came back for you! He came back because he knew YOU needed him, but you in your stubbornness keep pushing him away"

"I do not push him away, and it is his duty to be there when we need him." she replied as she sat down on the sofa

"Emilie, just ask yourself this. Duty to WHO? He loves you and it is his loyalty and love for you that brings him back from every mission." replied the previous M as he leaned over and patted her hand.

M leaned back and closed her eyes in order to keep the tears that were now forming from streaming down her cheeks. When she eventually opened her eyes, she found herself alone in her flat with her empty glass in her hand. She stood and walked to the window to stare out at the falling snow. "I wish I could believe that" she said under her breath

"Believe what?" said a voice as two strong arms came around her waist, pulling her back

M nearly dropped her glass as she turned to find herself staring up at the most incredible blue eyes.

"James...What are you doing here?" she asked as she wiped away a tear that had slipped down her cheek. " It's Christmas Eve"

"Where else would I be? This is a time to be with Family and you, whether you know it or not are MY family" he replied as he leaned down and kissed her

"What was that for?" she asked with a puzzled look

"I believe it is a requirement of the season as we happen to be standing under the mistletoe," he said with a grin as he pointed above them

"Who put that there?" she asked with a slight frown

"If you look closely there is mistletoe hanging in every doorway, archway and window of your flat" he smirked

"Why?"

"Why do you think? I didn't want to take any chances of missing the opportunity to show you how much I love you, and since you have a nasty habit of avoiding things that make you uncomfortable I decided to make sure that this was one thing you simply couldn't avoid" he replied as he leaned down and kissed her again.

"James...Have you hit your head?"

"No...Why?"

"I'm old enough to be your Mother"

"And yet, you're not" he said with a grin as he pulled her close "So who were you talking to earlier?" he asked

"When?" she replied as she settled into his arms, resting her head on his chest

"You were talking in your sleep earlier. I just wondered who you were talking to?"

"Oh I was just...Where did that come from?" she asked as she pointed to a small, decorated tree in the corner

"What Christmas would be complete without a tree?"

"But when did you have time to do this?"

"While you were sleeping," he replied as he guided her toward the door, stopping to kiss her again before continuing to the stairs.

"You weren't kidding about the mistletoe were you," she said with a laugh

"No, and I wasn't kidding about loving you either" he said in a serious tone as he tilted her chin up to look into her eyes

"I know" she replied quietly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck

"And just how do you know that?" he asked sounding slightly surprised

"Let's just say an old friend told me and leave it at that shall we" she replied "And for the record, I love you too!"

"Well. Now that that's settled, time for you to unwrap your gift,"

"And just what might that be?" she asked suspiciously

James immediately produced a bow and placed it on top of his head

"Guess" he replied with a grin

"Oh it's just what I've always wanted." she said tugging on his hand as she started up the stairs

"I love you M, Merry Christmas." he said stopping half-way up the stairs to wrap his arms around her

"Merry Christmas James" she replied as she leaned in and kissed him "I love you too"

~FIN~


End file.
